Key case



Aprillz, 193s. G. BODEN 2,114,172

. KEY CASE v Filed sept. 25, 193e lNvENToR Ufa/wEopE/v ATTORNEYS Patented Apr. 12, 1938 PATENT OFFICE KEY CASE George Boden, Waterbury, Conn., assigner to Buxton, Incorporated, Springfield, Mass., a corporation of Massachusetts Application September 23, 1936, Serial No. 102,149

1 Claim.

This invention relates to improvements in key cases.

The invention is particularly directed to structural features of improvement in a key case of the type wherein the key holders are mounted in such a way that they may be conveniently removed and replaced, when desired. An example of this type of key case will be found in United States Letters Patent No. 1,908,846, granted May 16, 1933, on an invention of Carleton H. Howe. In the key case of such patent, the key holders are held against removal from their supporting member by a reciprocable locking device which can be manually moved against the opposing force of a spring to a position wherein the key holders, or. any one thereof, may be removed from the supporting member.

In this type of key case, the spring is relied on to retain the reciprocable device in locking position. Removal of the spring from the case is possible and accidental loss of the spring can and has in some instances occurred. Without the spring, the locking device loses all of its effectiveness in insuring against loss of keys from the case. Thus, even though the locking device has been carefully designed to function effectively to prevent loss of keys, its effectiveness depends wholly- The invention will be disclosed for illustrativel purposes in connection with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a front elevational view of a key case embodying the invention,-the case being shown in open position;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary elevational view thereof showing the key holder supporting n means; y

Figs. 3 and 4 are sectional views taken on the lines 3-3 and 4-4, respectively, of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is an end elevational view of the key holder supporting means taken from the left hand side of Fig. 2;

Figs. 6 and '1 are top plan view s of the key holder supporting means showing the sliding mem- (Cl. 'l0-456) ber thereof positioned to hold the key holders against removal and to permit removal of such key holders, respectively;

Fig. 8 is an elevational view of the sliding member; and l f Fig. 9 is a perspective view illustrative of one step in the assembly of parts of the key holder supporting means.

In the drawing, I have shown my invention in connection with a key case of the type disclosed in the above named patent. This case includes a suitable folder of leather or the like, usually having a central section I0 and two iiaps I I, foldable in overlapping relation over the central section and capable of being held in such relation by interengageable snap fastener elements I2 and I3. Secured to the central section IIJ, as by rivets I4, is a plate I5 of thin metal having its upper edge portion rolled over as shown to provide a hollow and partly cylindrical portion I6. The key holders I'I, which may be of the form shown in the United States Letters Patent No. 1,968,989, granted August 7, 1934 on an invention of Warner R. Buxton, are provided with ball heads I8 which are mounted in the hollow portion I6 and enable the key holders to swivel as well as swing. The portion I6 has transverse slots I9 therein, one for each key holder. Each slot has a width such as to freely receive the neck portion 20 of the key holder and of such length as to enable the key holder to swing from its normal pendant position upwardly through an angle of about 180 degrees. Each slot at its upper end terminates with an enlarged portion 2l of a size and shape such as to enable the ball head I8 to pass therethrough. Normally, these enlargements are closed by the parts 22 of a locking device 23, which is mounted on the plate I5 to slide in the direction of the axis of tubular portion I6 from the position shown in Fig. 6 to that shown in Fig. 7. When the device 231s positioned as shown in Fig'. '7, recesses 24, provided in the upper edge of device 23, register one with each of the enlargements 2l and enable the key holders to be removed by withdrawing the ball heads I8 therethrough.

The locking device 23 is mounted in the same general manner disclosed in the above-named Howe patent. It has a part 25 which extends into a slot 25 formed in the lower wall of the tubular portion I'B and is held between the plate I5 and the long side wall of slot 26. This portion 25 has shoulders 21 one at each end thereof, which by abutment with the end walls of slot 26 limit the extent of sliding movement of the device 23. A spring 28 tends to hold the locking device in the position shown in Fig. 6 and the right hand shoulder 21 then abuts the right hand end of slot 26, as shown in Fig. 4. To move the locking device from the position shown in Fig. 6 to that shown in Fig. 7, a nger piece 28 is provided on one end of the device, of the form shown in Fig. 5. The linger piece is bent forwardly at right angles to the device 23 and the upper part thereof serves to close the left hand end of tubular member I6 and the lower part extends below the member I6 so that it may be conveniently moved with the thumb nail. This finger piece is set ush into the end of the tubular member I6 and does not project beyond such end as in said Howe patent. This arrangement furnishes additional protection against accidental operation of the locking device and the lower portion of the finger piece is made small and located below portion I6 and against plate I5 for similar reasons.

The locking device 23 has an extension from the part 25 in the form of a narrow finger 38 the sides of which parallel the axis of the tubular portion I6 and are so spaced as to freely fit inside the spring 28. The spring seats at one end against the shoulder formed at the intersection of the nger 30 with the part 25. At the other end, the spring seats against two lugs 3l which are struck up from the left hand end wall of a recess 32, formed in plate I5 in underlying relation with spring 28 to provide clearance thereof. The finger 30 is long enough to span this recess 32 and extend beyond the same far enough to have its free end received between the lugs 3I which are spaced apart for vthis purpose. Thus, the spring 28 is, at all positions of the locking device, held on the finger 30. The only'way in which the spring can be removed is to remove the finger from between the lugs and this requires bending up of the nger from the device 23 or removal of the device from plate I5. Removal of the device from plate I5 means bending out the lower wall of tubular portion I6 from plate I5 and, since both the portion I6 and nger 38 are made of stiif metal, the bending operations necessary to release spring 28 are not easily accomplished, much less are they likely to be effected accidentally which is whaty the invention seeks to prevent.

The locking device and its spring are assembled before the tubular portion I6 of the plate is completely formed. With the plate I5 in the form shown in Fig. 9, the device 23 may readily be slid into place. Then the part 25 thereof is swung outwardly away from the plate, the rounded inner part of the device 23 engaging the upper rear rounded wall of tubular portion I6 as a pivot. The part 25 is thus swung into slot 26 and the right hand shoulder 21 thereof is moved against the. right hand end of slot 26. The device 23 may be held thus positioned with the thumb' of the left hand. The spring 28 is then slid-in place on finger 38. Then with the thumb of the right hand the operator compresses the spring and at the same time pushes downwardly on it to carry the finger between the lugs 3|. The finger piece 28 seryes to prevent the spring 28 from moving the locking device 23 to the right and holds it properly positioned, while the portion I6 is completely rolled down into final form to hold the locking device in position.

The operation of the key case is the usual one and is fully disclosed in the above named Howe patent.

The invention, by preventing removal and particularly accidental loss of the spring of the locking device, makes the structure substantially foolproof and affords added insurance against loss of keys caused by accidental escape of the key holders. Even if the key holders are not often lost, the escape of the spring from its position between its seats in the key case structure of said Howe patent, causes the user a great deal of annoyance. The spring, if it escapes, is liable to pop out and move a considerable distance and, being small, is often diilicult to find. Unless the spring is found and replaced, the key case is useless because, as has been described, the spring is the means which holds the locking device in locking position. The invention saves the user from end of said spring and provided one on saidrsupi 

